A Kingdom of Blood and Bones (WORM AU: Queen of Villains!Taylor)

[dhazellouise]

Summary: After Eden views a different future, she sets a path for Taylor Hebert to use her Queen Administrator shard to its full potential as the Supervillain named Persephone, who has no qualms in ruling most of the Villain Groups in America. Eden does this for the girl to incite an International conflict while Persephone carves her own Kingdom of Blood and Bones alongside her Villainous Court.

(Worm AU: Queen of Villains!Taylor & Villain Leaders)

Author's Notes: Alright everyone, I am going to be writing this story a little bit differently. For one, I will be alternating the chapters from both past and present. The past will be about Taylor starting to use her power and gathering subordinates which will start on the year 2011. Meanwhile, the Present chapter, which mainly start on the year 2019 and will focus more about how Taylor handles the rest of Villainous organization as a Queen. So I hope you understand.

Title: Administrator. Noble. Queen.

Those are the first things Taylor Hebert learns when she discovers that she is a parahuman.

Power: To determine and rearrange the configuration of shards.

That is the second thing she learns when she realizes what her true power can do.

Objective: To incite an International conflict.

And last but not the least, she learns the real purpose of her own creation.

With most of her restrictions on her power gone, Taylor's passenger bleeds into her personality, where the agent of chaos squashes all her emotions and everything that compromises their main objective.

Even though Taylor can still function normally - physically and mentally - but she no longer feels any kind of emotion or distinguish between what is good and what is evil.

The only thing she understands is the need for conflict. On an International scale.

And so, Taylor Hebert's descent into darkness begins, where she intends to carve and rule a Kingdom of her own.

However, she will do so using all her power, even if she ends up reigning over a Kingdom of Blood and Bones.
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Year 2011 (PAST)

Three days. She counts. Three days of watching, analyzing, determining and rearranging the configuration of shards in the hosts within her three-block range to suit her purpose. Three days of simply standing in the shadows while she allows her power to brush against the three parahuman minds she can sense.

The Dragon, the Demon and the Bomber. She calls them in her mind.

Lung. Oni Lee and Bakuda. Three parahumans that she's been slowly using her power to properly condition them in preparation to accept her presence once she is ready to meet. The process of her conditioning is so subtle and done at a distance that she knows that no one knows that the three parahumans were already compromised while their shards have been thoroughly inspected and rearrange to accommodate Taylor's power and needs without her commanding them outright.

With Taylor's passenger doing the administrative work on the three's shards, she is already certain that her hold on the three parahumans will remain even when she leaves their range. Taylor also knows that they will not question this sudden changes since the three's shards are already finely tuned to her that that their shard configurations have accepted Taylor as their ally and true leader. If the three somehow becomes aware of the truth and turns on her, their respective shards will simply disable them and not let them harm her.

Now, they are already primed for their first meeting. At this point, the three will simply accept her as someone they already know and as someone who prefers to work independently beside them, which is Taylor's intent.

No one will know that their minds are compromise. No one will know, except me. She thinks. Now, after three days of planting the seeds of ambition in their heads while I wait for it to come to fruition. Three days of cultivating suggestions of all my aspirations on their mental garden. Three days of Spring... But now Autumn has come, and it's time for me to harvest all I need and taste the fruit of my labor…

"It's time for me to meet the three," She decides.

It's time to usher the first three souls into my budding dark Kingdom…where I will be known as Queen...and Persephone will be my name...Perhaps I will have to offer them the Pomegranates seeds to keep them by my side as well? After all, what is a Queen without a court of loyal followers?....

And so Taylor Hebert first descends into the darkness.
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With her eyes closed, she allows the rain drops to trickle down her half-covered face as she tilts her head up towards the dark sky. The black mask that covers half her face is wet and her dark clothes and hair are soaked as well, but she particularly doesn't care.

Still she waits beneath the pouring rain. She waits for the three people she can sense approaching close to her location.

She waits and wonders and predicts the many scenarios that this first encounter with the ABB well-known members can go wrong. However, she knows for certain that everything will go according to her plan.

The sounds of footsteps signal the three's arrival, but she still doesn't move. She doesn't turn around when she feels their presence just a few meters from her spot. She doesn't open her eyes even when she suddenly senses the rain stops falling over her and feels the warmth of someone standing close to her right side.

The three does not speak and neither does she.

So they wait in silence while the sound of the rain becomes louder in the background.

In that instant, Taylor is not afraid, despite the presence of three notorious Villains. She no longer feels anything except for the cold seeping into her skin.

With her power, she can read what is in the three's mind; their intent and their emotions. So far, she can only see their clear interest in meeting her and their patience to wait for her to start, but nothing more than that.

Taylor does not see any intention to harm her in any way in their minds.

For the time being, she is safe in their presence.

Slowly, very slowly, she opens her eyes and soon discovers the reason the rain had stop pouring over her.

There is an umbrella over her head, which is held by the person who stands next to her side.

For a moment, she regards the bare muscular arm holding the black umbrella in front of her.

Overwhelmed with something akin to interest, Taylor finally allows her eyes to gradually drift towards the man standing next to her. The first thing she sees is the large and varied dragon tattoos sprawled all over a naked, muscular chest. Then, the second thing she notes is the sight of the steel dragon mask covering the man's face. As she tilts her head further back, she finally lock gazes with a pair of light brown eyes, which she can see through the eye holes of the man's ornate mask.

The male figure beside her is tall and intimidating. However, Taylor doesn't feel intimidated by the man's sheer height and presence. In fact, her interest is piqued because this will be the first time meeting a Villain of his calibre.

Lung...The Dragon. Her mind supplies calmly while she regards the tall, dark-haired man. The notorious leader of the Azn Bad Boys, who is currently holding an umbrella to shelter them from the rain.

She knows she hasn't expressed that he brings an umbrella, but perhaps he is simply reacting to what he perceives as a general need that she fails to meet and he has taken an initiative to accommodate her.

It seems that rearranging their shards configuration and increasing our shard communication has made them hyper-aware of what I lack at the moment and move to rectify the matter. She realizes. This might prove to be advantageous to me in the future, but I know that there might be drawbacks as well.

For a while, no one speaks as Taylor continues to asses the Villain before her. She can sense Oni Lee and Bakuda standing at a respectable distance, but like Lung, they simply wait for her to speak.

She allows herself a few more moments before Taylor finally speaks for the first time.

"Perhaps we need to find a better place to talk other than standing here beneath the rain," she says to Lung in general, "Perhaps some place where your people will not become aware of my presence of course."

"There's an abandoned building close by. I think that will be suitable for the meeting." Lung suggests in his deep, gravelly voice and thick accent.

"Yes, that will be fine," she replies.

"Come and follow me then," the ABB leader says.

Not waiting for a reply, Lung takes a step forward while Taylor does the same. Soon, they are walking side by side with the other two villains trailing behind them.

Lung still holds the umbrella over them as they walk, which she finds worthless, considering that she is already soaked to the bones.

"I apologize for asking you three to meet me outside in this weather," She states shortly after.

"You don't need to apologize," comes Lung's instant reply "We understand that you want to meet us because you need help with something?"

Good. It seems that they have easily accepted me as someone they know for a while now. She thinks.

"Yes," is her answer. "First, I may need some information...and the second thing I want is to have your men do something for me. However, I will speak more on this matter once we are in a much secure location."

"I see…" Lung says almost contemplatively. "Well, we are almost close to the abandoned building. We will talk soon enough."

Taylor does not say anything after that and simply keeps up with Lung's pace as they walk down the street.
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"So...what's your reason for wanting all of this?" Bakuda asks a little later as they stand safely in some kind of empty office building three blocks from the ABB's main hideout.

"Does it matter?" comes Taylor's nonchalant reply as she glances at the woman to her left.

"It matters to us because many will wonder as to the reason I ordered ABB members to coordinate an attack on certain civilians," is Lung's cold words.

Taylor turns to her right and meets the ABB leader's cool brown eyes. The Villain's gaze is steady as she assesses him for a second.

"Lung…" She says softly as she continues to hold his gaze. "You already know who I am…"

No, you don't...but you don't need to know that. She inwardly thinks while she resumes speaking, "You already know my cape name...So you probably know the myth behind the name I chose."

"Persephone…" Lung rumbles in a low voice. "I've heard of the myth - or some parts of it - but I don't see the relevance between your desire to have these civilians murdered and your cape name."

"Persephone is known to most as the Queen of the Underworld," Bakuda divulges the information.

"And?" Lung asks in an impatient tone.

"As the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone rules over the dead," The blue-eyed woman answers shortly.

"And as such, she rules over a Kingdom of Blood and Bones, over the souls of the dead, the evil damned, and their rotting corpses." Taylor adds in an arctic voice. "I chose the name Persephone since I intend to carve a Kingdom of my own, even if it means I will have to carve it from the backs of massacred civilian families... So does that answer your question Lung?"

The ABB leader does not reply immediately instead he regards her for a brief seconds. Taylor gets the fleeting impression from his mind and understands that he doesn't believe her reason at all. She sees that the Villain suspects that Taylor is simply doing this for personal reasons, and that was for revenge.

It doesn't matter if he suspects the truth behind my request. I know he will still do what I asked of him despite everything. She thinks.

"As you say Persephone…" is Lung's reply and that was the end of that before Taylor directs their discussion into something else.

"Now, that we have that settled. Let's move onto my second request. First and foremost, I want information. So why don't you three tell me what's been going on with the ABB gang," She says. "After all, I've been working on my own these last few months without contact with your three."

Those were lies, of course, but they will accept it as the truth, and they will do so without asking questions. She inwardly digress.

"What do you need to know?"

This time it's Oni Lee, who asks the question and Taylor turns her attention to the man. Her eyes land on his red demon mask first, right before she lifts her gaze to meet his coal black eyes.

"I want to know everything," comes Taylor's reply.

As she expects, the three is only happy to oblige her request for their answers are surprisingly swift.

"As you wish Persephone," says the Demon while the Bomber states, "That won't be a problem."

Lastly, it is the Dragon who remarks in his deep and accented voice, "Perhaps I shall speak first about the changes that I made for the past few months..."

And so Taylor listens and learns and assesses while she continues to descend into the darkness of her own making.
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"This is terrible…terrible news..."

Taylor listens to her father mutter repeatedly as she watches him from the corners of her eyes.

Danny Hebert is reading the morning newspaper and she already knows what's in it.

For splattered on the front page of the newspaper is the picture of her ex-best friend's - Emma Barne's - house. As she briefly glances at the picture, the house looks pristine on the outside. However, it's what the authorities found on the inside that was the cause for the media frenzy.

Taylor already knows what she wanted when she spoke to Lung and the rest, but she still has to know if Lung followed her instructions to the letter. Hence, after reading the news article, she discovers that the ABB leader seems to make good with his promise. Because it seems Emma Barnes was mercilessly butchered along with her family.

Apart from being tortured alive, other things were done to the pretty red-head as well it seems. She knows that terrorizing Emma is not enough so Taylor has given specific instructions to make the girl suffer before she died.

And suffered she did...plus more. She thinks without a hint of remorse.

Other than that, since Taylor knows that Lung wanted to protect his gang members. The ABB leader had gone through great lengths to cover his tracks and to prevent anyone from linking the crime to the Azn Bad Boys, which she considers as a wise decision.

However, this is only the beginning. After all, Taylor has given three names for the ABB leader to target and she knows that Lung is very meticulous when it comes to committing acts of Villainy.

Taylor just wonders when Lung's going to strike next.

One down. Two more to go, She coldly calculates as she continues to eat her breakfast.

She is still calmly eating her cereal when when she senses her father assessing her in silence. A moment later, she listens when her father gently breaks the news to her about the death of the Barnes family.

In response, Taylor simply acts that the news affected her somewhat. However, she excuses herself shortly after since she doesn't want her father to suspect something was wrong when she doesn't openly cry in devastation.

After all, Taylor no longer feels any emotions at all after she triggered and keeping up the appearance will be too much for her.
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Two weeks later, Taylor finds out what happens to Sophia Hess next in the news.

"- body parts found scattered across the Boardwalk a day before has finally been identified. The victim is believed to be a girl named Sophia Hess. Age 15. A high-school student in Winslow High. Apart from the girl's apparent brutal death, the forensics team have also discovered evidence of possible rap- "

Taylor tunes out the news reporter. She knows the rest of what happened. Like Emma Barnes, the men that Lung sent probably did more to Sophia Hess to prolong her suffering.

However, Taylor discovers that she no longer feels anything at all upon hearing the news. No regret. No evidence of joy. Just simply nothing. Just simple, utter emptiness.

Nevertheless, she knows that this will not be the last death that she will cause. This was just a simple clean-up operation, which involves the Trio of girls that had tormented Taylor for far too longer.

"Two down. One more to go," she mutters to herself as she listens to the reporter once again as the woman informs the general public about the morbid details of what the forensic team found in the chopped-up corpse of her previous tormentor.
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As for Madison Clements and her family, Taylor discovers that Lung had simply sent Bakuda to discreetly plant bombs on a local establishment where the family will be going.

As soon as the bomber activated her tinker tech bomb, the building collapse over the Clements family and other civilians. Twenty-two people died during the attack, which included the Clements, and thirty-six more were wounded.

Fortunately, no one suspects the ABB was behind the attack since she guesses that Bakuda must have made the bombs disintegrate completely to prevent investigators from discovering and connecting it to the ABB bomber.

After finally learning the last of the Trio's death, Taylor decides to make her second visit on the ABB members.

Taylor does so a few days later.
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"No you are doing it all wrong," Lung says to her in his usual accented voice as he watches her hold the chopsticks incorrectly. Apparently, using chopsticks is a requirement now when eating in one of the japanese restaurant that Lung owned, which they are currently in.

Taylor should have realized that she should have chosen a Western restaurant for her second meeting with the ABB members instead of allowing Lung the liberties of choosing the location.

Well, it's too late now, not when the ABB leader is determined that Taylor learns how to use chopsticks.

Across the table from her, she can sense Bakuda and Oni Lee watching her interaction with their leader. Bakuda looking outright amused while Taylor senses the blank slate Oni Lee appearing more interested than usual.

"Here. Look," The ABB leader states as he brandishes his chopsticks in front of Taylor's face that he nearly pokes her eye out.

Taylor momentarily considers batting his hand away but she decides against it. She is certain Lung will probably stab her with the chopstick if she denies him this moment to teach her how to become a proper Asian.

"With your dominant hand, you must have the chopstick sit between the valley of your thumb and forefinger. The second stick then joins the first one in the valley as well, but this one should rest on your middle finger," Lung instructs with proper demonstration.

Taylor carefully watches his masculine fingers as he holds the pair of sticks and she tries to follow his example. The moment she tries to move her fingers over the foreign utensils, she drops one of the sticks and straight into her bowl of miso soup.

She hears Lung sighs beside her while Bakuda lets out a burst of laughter.

"Perhaps your restaurant can provide me with some spoon and fork instead?" comes her nonchalant suggestion to the man sitting beside her.

"No," comes Lung's abrupt and firm reply and Taylor blinks when she sees the determined look on the man's light brown eyes. "Since you agreed to meet us at my restaurant, you must follow and learn our ways while you are here. You may not be Asian, but I am the Dragon and my word is law here. All of us will not eat until you learn how to properly wield the hashi."

"Teaching me will probably take time and all of us will get hungry if that happens," she points this out coolly to Lung, who moves to pick up the single chopstick that she drops on her bowl of miso soup.

"I am a good teacher and I am sure you will learn fast with proper instruction," The Dragon says while he hands the single chopstick back to her. "Now, let me see how you do it first."

Taylor slowly moves the chopsticks between her thumb and forefinger with her dominant hand and nearly drops it once more if not for Lung's hand quickly moving to catch it.

"Pathetic," is Lung's only remark as he uses both of his hands to start teaching Taylor manually.

"Since it seems you don't understand verbal instructions, I might as well show you how it is done with my own hands," comes the Villain's statement as he picks at Taylor's fingers with his own and begins to position them properly on the sticks.

"To hold the hashi, you will require a certain kind of delicacy and precision," Lung is saying to her as he pluck her forefinger and position them somewhere in the middle of the second chopstick she is holding. "You may have soft hands and delicate fingers, but the way you handle the hashi is like watching a brute man strangle the neck of a woman. Violent and without any just cause. You struggle with the hashi because you don't know the cause and effect of each individual fingers when you position and apply pressure on the sticks."

Lung's fingers continue to adjust her grip on the sticks.

"Handling the hashi is an art form," Lung continues to say. "You must be precise and delicate but know how to position and put the right pressure in each stick when needed to pluck food from your plate."

"Now, let me see you try to move the hashi in your fingers," Lung states as he finally lets go of her hand.

With three pairs of eyes on her, Taylor tries to move the chopsticks in her fingers. She is able to move the sticks with a clamping motion, but when she tries to pick up her sushi, she ultimately fails at the endeavor.

"She's hopeless," is Bakuda's only comment when Taylor drops her sushi along with the chopstick again.

"At least, there is an improvement," comes Oni Lee's remark.

"Here. Let's try again," Lung states from beside Taylor while he assists her once more in placing the sticks in her fingers.

"Oh, must you?" Bakuda whines in protest. "I'm getting hungry Lung! If you must teach the white girl how to use hashi, then you can do so, but I seriously need to eat right now! Or better yet, why not just give her the spoon and fork as she requested?"

"I said there will be no use for spoon and fork!" is Lung's sharp response. "And no one is eating until the girl learns how to use the hashi!"

"Why is it important to you that the girl learns how to use a hashi? This will probably be the first and last time she steps into a japanese restaurant. So learning the hashi will be useless to her," Bakuda says pointedly.

"The girl must learn how to use the hashi because I am the Dragon and I said so! Now, stop questioning me and be silent Bakuda!" Lung snaps angrily at the other woman.

"You know what Lung?! Why don't you just fucking feed the girl yourself with your own goddamn chopsticks so that we can all get to fucking eat! Because I'm tired of watching you hold hands with the girl for the past ten minutes!" The bomber exclaims in annoyance. "Other than that, your teaching methods suck!"

Sensing the impending violence that is about to erupt, Taylor swiftly places a firm hand on Lung's broad shoulder before he can leap across the table and pummel the blue-eyed woman.

"Stop," She states.

Just one word and everyone at the table freezes. Taylor does not require to exert her will on them, but they immediately understand what she expects from them.

She allows for a few seconds to lapse before she finally turns her attention to the man sitting beside her.

"Lung, I don't see the need for Bakuda and Oni Lee to wait and become hungry while you teach me how to use chopsticks. I say let them eat while you teach me what I need to know," is Taylor's suggestion while she lock gazes with the ABB leader.

There is a short pause as the Dragon considers the Queen.

"Fine," comes the Villain's low, gravelly rumble. "Bakuda, Oni Lee, you may start eating."

"Finally!" Bakuda says loudly. "I thought I was going to wait for another hour! And the food is about to get cold too!"

"Since I own this restaurant, then I will have the kitchen staff serve us hot meals if the food becomes cold," Lung states to Bakuda before he swiftly turns his gaze back to Taylor once again.

"Now, let's start." Lung says from beside her.

Taylor turns her eyes away from the sight of Bakuda, who has started hastily gobbling down her onigiri and Oni Lee sipping his cup of macha. She focuses her blank gaze on the stubborn man sitting on her side.

It seems Lung is determined that I learn how to use chopsticks. She thinks while she watches when the dark-haired man reaches out and starts rearranging her fingers again over the foreign utensil.

"After you learn to use the hashi, I intend to invite you again to any of my restaurants so that you can keep on practicing this method of eating until you have perfected it," Lung tells her in a certain and steely voice.

"Are you trying to make an Asian out of me Lung?" She asks and she observes the look of amusement that flashes on the man's handsome features for a brief second.

Yes, it still surprises her to see that the Villain is hiding that kind of face behind his mask. Even Bukada looks kind of pretty without her metal mask and Oni Lee has a stern but homely face as well.

All three are foreign-looking of course, but she finds Lung's face the most arresting.

"Perhaps," is Lung's amused reply. His light brown eyes almost gleaming. "However, it might require teaching you a lot of things about Asian culture if that was my intent from the beginning."

"Well, I think I have plenty of time to learn everything Asian," She response although her face remains as expressionless as before. "After all, I intend to survey how your entire gang operates."

"Oh?" is Lung's word as he quirk a brow at her. "Is that the other reason why you called us for this meeting?"

"Yes, but let's discuss that later, shall we? I think you still need to teach me how to properly use chopsticks." Taylor reminds him as she raises her chopsticks and absently pokes Lung in the face with it.

Instantly, she observes the dark scowl that appears on the Villain's handsome face.

"After poking me with your hashi, I believe making an Asian out of you is no longer an option... How about I make you a human Barbeque instead?" Lung says while he glares at her.

A moment of silence follows at Lung's statement while he continues to pin Taylor with an icy glower.

"Lung," Taylor says slowly. "I admit that was unwise of me...I know I shouldn't poke a dragon. So I apologize for poking you with a chopstick. Now, let's not waste any more time and continue with the lesson please?"

And before Lung can say anything to her, Taylor hears Bakuda speaking while the woman munches a mouthful of sushi.

"Yeah, you should finish teaching the girl Lung, or you will have to call the servers to bring you a new, hot meal. Both of your food is getting cold you know..."

At Bakuda's words, Lung simply scoots closer to Taylor's seat and grabs a hold of her hand which has the chopsticks on it.

"You will learn, and you will learn fast," Lung states to her in a demanding tone.

As she hears the command in his voice, Taylor directs a calculative look at him and says, "I thought you were a patient teacher?"

"Did I say I was? I said I am a good teacher, I did not say I am a patient one," comes Lung's retort.

"Like I said before, you are terrible teacher Lung,"

She hears Bakuda's remark and is not surprised to hear when Lung growls right back, "Shut up and eat your food, Bakuda!"

After listening to the exchange, Taylor can't help but frown in disapproval. However, her attention is drawn back to the man beside her when she feels his hand moving over hers once more.

"If you don't learn how to use the hashi within five minutes, then I'm going to feed you myself," is Lung's low grumble and Taylor realizes that he might make good with his promise if she fails the task.
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Four days. She counts. Four days of shadowing Lung, Oni Lee and Bakuda as they visited most of the establishments that make up the backbone of the Azn Bad Boy's criminal empire. And as always, her presence as she follows either of three has caused quite a stir in the ABB gang. The rest of the ABB members always wonder who she is and her reason for being there, because most of them obviously knows that she is not of Asian descent.

However, Lung and the other two lieutenants decides not to explain themselves because Taylor has not prompted them to do so. So she allows for the rumors to fly, which are mainly speculations of her being a cape that Lung recently recruited.

So within four days, Taylor learns more about the ABB gang and how they operate. She visits the warehouses where they make the drugs in laboratories, or the warehouse where ABB members sort the cache of ammunition and crates of other weaponry. Apart from that, Taylor also discovers that Lung's men also deals in distributing counterfeit money and even selling highly-priced smuggled items.

On the second day, she simply listens to Oni Lee describes the underground tunnels containing the pens or cages full of drug-induced sex slaves, which Lung has expressly forbidden for Taylor to see. Obviously, Lung doesn't want her to see the vilest part of what he does in his organization.

Shortly after, Bakuda drives her over the many strip clubs, dancing clubs and whore houses that Lung owns, although Taylor is denied entry to most of them, except for the dancing club that is. Then, she learns the other establishments that Lung owns like the two Casinos, a few decent restaurants, and some other small shops and Asian grocery stores in his territory in the Docks and nearby areas.

Once the tour is over, Taylor is given the opportunity to visit Bakuda's tinker workshop and meet the rest of the ABB members who work directly under her. As Taylor explores the workshop, she is able to figure out that the woman is working on something very big and catastrophic. Taylor doesn't voice out her observation of course, and simply praises the woman for keeping her workshop perfectly operational and simply left.

Oni Lee does the same and shows her the hidden training grounds and recruitment centers of the ABB members, where she is introduced to other notable members whom the Demon has personally taught himself. At this point, she finds out that Oni Lee is also overseeing ABB members who specializes in information gathering, assassination missions and other shadowy operation that helps in the overall running of Lung's criminal empire.

Lastly, Taylor's harrowing days end with her sitting in Lung's office while the ABB leader inquires about her thoughts on the things she saw and heard during her visits to most of his establishments.

Of course, Taylor answers are mostly the truth. She admits that she is impressed how his organization operates and surprise that he owns some shops that doesn't involve any criminal activity. Lung seems to be satisfied with her answers, but not until she questions him about the underground tunnels full of sex slaves.

"Why didn't you want me to see the place?" is Taylor's inquiry and she instantly sees how Lung's eyes seems to narrow at the question. "Were you trying to shield me or something?"

"You are still young. So you don't understand the things a Villain like me will do to keep most of my underground business running," comes Lung's cool reply. "When you ask for an entire tour of all my territory, I deliberately left out the underground tunnels, mainly because I don't see the need to expose you into something which I am not particularly proud of."

"I understand more than you know actually…" Taylor replies just as coldly. Her storm grey eyes gleam with a cold and calculating light as she regards the ABB leader. "And you don't need to hide anything from me, much less about forced slavery and selling flesh to the highest bidder. I could care less about that...But most of all, do you think I would have allowed myself to be here and followed you and the other two around if I intend to keep myself in the light? To stay picking flowers and enjoying the Springtime of youth like an innocent maiden? Lung…must I remind you who I am? What my name stands for? I chose the cape name Persephone for a reason…Persephone may be the Goddess of Spring, but she is also the Queen of the Underworld. And akin to her, I have every intention to descend into the darkness and straight into the Criminal Underworld where the evil damned waits for my bidding…So the next time you keep me in the light and prevent me from descending into the dark and evil domain where I intend to rule, I will personally see that your Kingdom burns, until everything you see turns to ash and ruin."

There is complete and utter silence afterward as the Dragon faces the Queen.

"Brave words coming from someone who doesn't have the wealth, resources or manpower to back your threat. Perhaps you should consider your words first before threatening a Villain like myself," is Lung's dry remark. "Fortunately for you, your words did not provoke me as much as it should...However, Persephone...I will give you words of advice instead, before you consider to rule a Kingdom of your own, you must also consider the great possibility that you can't do it alone…After all, in the myth, I do recall how Persephone rules beside her husband Hades, the God and King of the Underworld...So when you intend to rule a Kingdom, you might look for a King as well."

At this point, Taylor sees the glint of challenge in the Villain's light brown eyes and understands that he is trying to provoke her now. It doesn't take a genius to understand what Lung is implying. He sees that Taylor is too weak and can't handle running a criminal organization in the future without the help of another person - a partner - by her side to elevate her station.

A pity that I don't feel anger anymore. For certain if I did, I would have punched the goddamn bastard in the face and mutilated him so thoroughly as well. She muses cruelly.

"When I rule a Kingdom, I will be a Queen who doesn't need a King," Taylor vows in a frigid voice as she meets Lung's gaze.

You don't know it Lung...but you are only just a stepping stone that will help me descend into my dark, evil Kingdom. Your Azn Bad Boys? They will be mine by the end of this week, and so will you, Oni Lee and Bakuda. You haven't realized it yet...but the three of you have already been defeated before you even met me. Now, you are just mere pawns to my true ambition. Taylor inwardly states.

"We shall see Persephone," Lung merely says to her. "We shall see…"
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After four days of following the three ABB members, Taylor concludes that the Azn Bad Boys is not only thriving on selling sex slaves and drugs. It seems Lung has the business acumen to handle decent ones as well.

However, Taylor understands that Lung is content in ruling over his territory in Brockton Bay. He might rule through fear and with an iron fist, but she knows that it won't be enough. Not to her at least because Taylor has aspirations.

And the seeds of ambition she planted in the ABB member's minds all those days ago? Taylor is just simply waiting for it to ripen at the right time, until the moment they are ready for the picking...

Luckily, Taylor doesn't need to wait for another three days when the opportunity to do so arises.

As the Merchant's conducts some of their drug dealing business in ABB territory, Taylor doesn't even need to do anything at all, not when the Dragon himself finally rouses up and turns his attention towards the opposing gang's territory.

"Perhaps it's time to expand your territory, hmn..?" is Taylor's only words after listening to Lung, Bakuda and Oni Lee talk about the Merchant's recent action in their territory.

The three turns to look at her for a moment after hearing her suggestion.

A moment later, Lung finally replies as he meets her gaze, "Perhaps you are right...I think it's time to claim other territories indeed..."

At his statement, Taylor allows herself to smile at the man for the first time and she watches as the Dragon does the same with a rakish smirk that transforms his handsome face completely.
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And so the invasion begins with the Dragon leading the charge at the helm and the Queen still pulling the strings from the shadows.
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[dhazellouise]

Author's Notes: Alright everyone, I am going to be writing this story a little bit differently. For one, I will be alternating the chapters from both past and present. The past will be about Taylor starting to use her power and gathering subordinates which will start on the year 2011. Meanwhile, the Present chapter, which mainly start on the year 2019 and will focus more about how Taylor handles the rest of Villainous organization as a Queen. So I hope you understand.
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(PRESENT: YEAR 2019)

Sitting at the head of the table, she watches and listens to the men speaking around her. To her right sits the leader of the Asian Coalition, Lung - Her Dragon - who rules most of the five states of Central America, and to her left sits the leader of the White Empire, Kaiser - Her Emperor - who rules some of the states in North America.

These are the two men who have been with her since the beginning when she started using her power and gained control over the Villainous Organizations in Brockton Bay. Lung and Kaiser who have remained loyal to her for years. And as a reward for their eight years of service to her cause, Taylor has allowed them to sit beside her every meeting with the rest of her men in the War Room built within the Shardspace.

However, they are not the only two men who have proven to be extremely resourceful and useful to her goal because Coil - Her Spymaster - the leader of the Basilisk Corperation is another one worth mentioning since he also contributed a lot to Taylor's plans during the first years when she started extending her influence outside of Brockton Bay.

Hence, as an act of goodwill, Taylor has allowed Coil to claim plenty of territory over the West Coast of America as his base of operation. Taylor knows that Coil is not as loyal as the first two Villains, but he is a man who understands her best and what she can do to most of her power. The only reason he sticks by her side because he trusts in her ability to see through everything that meets most of their Kingdom's needs, specifically his.

Taylor glances at the three men briefly and notices that they are listening intently to what Bastard Son has to say regarding the Fallen.

"The Fallen should all be exterminated. I don't see the point of letting these ingrates live and allow their false gods and nonsense beliefs to spread like a disease all across our territories. Perhaps we should ask the Butcher to send a task force to systematically massacre them and their entire terrorist cells in all their known hideouts. Heh..." The leader of the Elite suggests to the others.

Taylor regards the man carefully. Bastard Son - Her Enforcer - is the seventh Villain who joined Taylor's side three years ago. However, he did so without having a choice on the matter after she set three of her most powerful Generals and their army at The Elite that resulted in thousands of casualties and hundreds of properties destroyed. However, at the end of the Battle, Taylor was merciful and allowed him to become one of the newest leader of the Villain Organizations that Taylor has absorbed into her vast domain. Until now, Bastard Son still calls the remaining few of his people The Elite.

She knows that the man has an abrasive personality and no respect for any high authority, but surprisingly he seems to respect her. Although Taylor suspects that it's got to do with his intent to gain her confidence and something else that she rather not want to think about. Since he is still new to her Kingdom, he hasn't amassed a number of territories or other resources like the rest of her men after the Battle at Oakland three years ago.

"I am against your suggestion Bastard Son," comes a smooth voice from Taylor's left. She turns her head and sees the dark-haired man sitting two seats down from Kaiser's side.

Heartbreaker - Her Legionnaire - a cult leader and the leader of the newly established Heartless Society, which claims the majority of the territory near the Canadian borders. He is the fourth leader of a Villain Organization that joined Taylor's side but he did so by his choice alone. Now, his children oversees each of his territory with him as the Head of their Society.

Surprisingly, Heartbreaker's tactics have changed for the past years and Taylor knows that she was the cause of it. The man no longer uses a harem of beautiful woman to do his bidding. In recent years, the man doesn't distinguish whom he controls with his Master power anymore. In fact, she hears that the man has gathered legions of people without regards to race, age, sex, religious beliefs or some such, and use his legions to do anything to protect and expand his territory into Canadian soil.

"Instead of exterminating the Fallen, why don't we allow them into the Queen's Kingdom?" Heartbreaker states out loud and Taylor observes how the other men expresses various degrees of emotions. She notes that most of the men express their disgust at the possibility of allowing the Endbringer-worshippers into their Kingdom.

"I rather have the Endbringers roam freely in our territories than have those lowlifes corrupt our people with their false beliefs and skewed traditions," Jack Slash remarks with a bit of humor.

"I agree with Jack Slash," comes the Butcher's words. "If Scion were still alive, I might even influence the idiot Entity to personally exterminate all the members of the Fallen just for the heck of it."

Taylor does not say anything after hearing Jack Slash's and the Butcher's comment.

These two men were not recent members of Taylor's High Court. Jack Slash and the Slaughter House 9 joined her Kingdom perhaps five years ago while the Butcher and the Teeth soon followed only a few months after.

Jack Slash - or her Black Knight - hasn't changed at all since he joined her side. He still loves to play and perform like he's standing at the center of the stage and Taylor allows his love for theatrics simply because his broadcast shard is very useful to her in communication to other members of her High Court. It's mainly because of Jacob's shard - after she had rearranged its configuration - that the members of her court are able to come and meet each other in the War Room created within the Shardspace.

If it wasn't for Jack's broadcast shard, communication with her men won't be possible while they rule their own territories all across America. Sure, they can use electronic gadgets for communication, but it's not as great as entering the Shardspace where they can manifest their own bodies and interact like in real life. There's also the fact that they can see the Avatars of their agents in this dimension as well. However, at the moment, their agents have left them to their own devices while they discuss important matters.

Other than that, the Slaughterhouse 9 and its members have been a perfect addition to Taylor's Kingdom when they join five years ago, since they are very efficient at what they do and their innovations has vastly improved most of the areas that Taylor consider hopeless.

As for the Butcher - Her Executioner - he is not the same man as before before he joins her, because thanks to Taylor's power to rearrange the configuration of shards, she is able to fix the Butcher's malfunctioning shard. Now, the man has been endlessly grateful to her afterward that he has devoted most of his time trying to pay her back. She knows that he still has access to most of his powers but without the crippling effect of other personalities trying to bombard him at once. He's another one that Taylor knows that will remain loyal to her in the end.

"There is nothing to gain by absorbing the Fallen into our Kingdom," Coil states in a cool voice, "Other than perhaps gaining a bunch of incestuous false believers who are as useless as they come."

"Instead of proposing our own ideas about how to better handle the group, perhaps we should ask our Queen about her thoughts on the Fallen?" a familiar voice suggest to Taylor's left and she looks to the side and sees Kaiser looking at her.

She senses rather than sees it when the rest of the men turn to look at her as well.

For a moment, Taylor allows her eyes to survey the seven men who sits around the table. The faces that stares back at her are familiar but different. Thanks for the Red Queen - or Panacea as she was called before - and Bonesaw's various modification to the men in her court that they now look young, invincible and nearly Immortal, and might even resembled the Greek Gods of Mount Olympus with their perfect appearance.

Taylor doesn't understand what prompted most of the men to seek and allow the Red Queen and Bonesaw to make adjustments to their biology, but she has mounting suspicion that it got something to do with the women capes of her Court tittering about 'Men and their ambition to rule" or something about 'Attracting the Queen bee with some Honey."

Yes, there is definitely something going on with the men at her Court, but she doesn't have the time to speculuate on it at the moment, not when their attention is on her.

"The Fallen is a hopeless case," Taylor simply says, "I have no intention of absorbing the Fallen into my Kingdom because they are nothing but vermin that needs to be completely exterminated, and mainly because I am certain that I will be bombarded by hundreds of marriage proposals from their most notable members as soon as I give them the chance to enter my Court....and considering that I already have to contend with numbers of propositions on the day to day bases from others as well, I don't see the reason to add to that by letting those useless piece of shits join my Kingdom."

"What?! You've been receiving propositions from other men? Since when?!"

She hears the deep, gravelly voice coming from Taylor's right and she instantly sees Lung looking absolutely pissed.

Typical Kenta...for him to ask the most personal question in front of the other men in her Court. She can practically feel the rest of the men waiting for her answer with keen interest. A couple of them even look like they are ready to murder someone.

"Yes, I have received a number of proposals...and it's been happening for a while now. However, we are veering off topic, perhaps let us discuss about the next Endbringer attack? Jack, since you and the SlaughterHouse 9 are the ones who are handling the Endbringer attacks this year. Do you think Khonsu is ready to be deployed next month somewhere in Asia?"

"After the Eidolon's shard have been moved to the clone that the Simurgh has made last year. Some of the Eiodolon's shard functionality still needs a little bit of adjustment, I think you told me that you will come and look into it, and use your power to rearrange the shards configuration for us to fully use its power in directing the Endbringer attacks this year," Jack reminds her while he raises a brow at her.

"I apologize. I have been busy alongside the Butcher and Bastard Son in squashing the remaining resistance forces of the PRT in the East Coast that I nearly forget about that." Taylor responds. "Perhaps I can come and visit the - "

"Who were the men that proposed to you?!" Lung suddenly demands out loud. Apparently, the Dragon has not gotten over the fact or calm down yet.

Only Lung would dare interrupt me, Taylor thinks while she directs a cold look at the man himself.

"Lung this is not the time for such a discussion. If you want to know who proposed to me, then we can discuss this when we are in private. At the moment, we can't afford to be distrac -" Taylor is not given an opportunity to finish her sentence when another rude voice cuts in.

"Since he clearly wanted to know one of the men who proposed to you, my Queen, then he might as well know that I am one of them," Bastard Son states in a nonchalant way, but Taylor knows that he was purposely being provocative.

There is a momentary pause as the tension in the room skyrocketed after the Bastard Son's revelation. After nearly three years of not delving into her most loyal men's minds, Taylor is quite puzzled at the sudden spike of murderous rage that the men unconsciously projects from their minds. They seem to be thinking in the same wavelength and that is their desire to kill or torture the leader of The Elite in that moment.

However, the silence is soon broken by Lung's words.

"What did you say?" comes Lung's low growl as he glares at the Bastard Son.

"I said that I am one of the men who proposed to our dear, beloved Queen. Do you got a problem with that?" Bastard Son asks in a challenging voice.

Then, Taylor watches when Lung completely loses it. The Dragon abruptly stands up from his chair that it crashes towards the floor.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! HOW DARE YOU EVEN CONSIDER SUCH A THING! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF HER! I WILL FUCKING GUT YOU WHERE YOU SIT! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Lung roars while Taylor hears when the Butcher starts yelling as well, "WILL YOU FUCKING SHUT UP ALREADY LUNG! AND STOP CONSIDERING THAT YOU HAVE A CLAIM ON OUR QUEEN! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A COMPLETE IMBECILE AND-!"

As Lung lunges for Bastard Son, Kaiser moves to restrain his long-time ally while both Heartbreaker and Coil have to drag the Butcher off the table after the man had leap on top of it to try and reach Lung.

Meanwhile, Jack Slash simply watches everything with a merry look on his face and looking absolutely entertained.

"Perhaps I should have brought popcorn,"

She hears Jack Slash's remark and Taylor decides that she doesn't care anymore about this bunch of Villainous dunderheads.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Alright everyone, please look into the moodboards that I made for each members of the Court since that's how I see the characters now.

THE QUEEN - PERSEPHONE

THE DRAGON - LUNG (ASIAN COALITION)

THE EMPEROR - KAISER (WHITE EMPIRE)

THE SPYMASTER - COIL (BASILISK CORPORATION)

THE BLACK KNIGHT - JACK SLASH (SLAUGHTERHOUSE 9)

THE EXECUTIONER - THE BUTCHER (THE TEETH)

THE LEGIONNAIRE - HEARTBREAKER (HEARTLESS SOCIETY)

THE ENFORCER - BASTARD SON (THE ELITE)

 

[dhazellouise]

(PAST: YEAR 2011)

The Merchants perished in a single night. Their hideout burnt to cinders from Lung's pyrokinesis while the gang members were brutally killed. The Merchants had no chance at all when the ABB invaded their territory.

As for Skidmark, Squealer and Mush, Taylor had simply incapacitated them when she caught them within her range. Using her power to alter their shards configuration, Taylor just made it so that they have trouble using their abilities - which crippled them greatly - while they were fighting the powered and unpowered ABB members.

Afterward, Taylor allowed Lung to finish the three parahumans off by burning them alive. With an inferno raging around them, she cooly observed when the half-formed Lung had roared and unleashed hellfire on the three parahuman members, who had screamed such a horrible scream of agony and anguish as their flesh instantly blackened, turned to a crisp before it sloughed off from their bones like melted butter. Their fat sizzled, their blood boiled and the scent of cooked meat permeated the air thereafter that even a few ABB members had nearly puke his guts out.

It was a dark and grim work, but a necessary evil to completely extinguish the Merchants pitiful legacy in that area. The Merchants were just a small fish to fry, but they were still a nuance that Taylor wanted completely exterminated. There are no use for drug addicts in her dark Kingdom.

Of course, their attack on the Merchants had drawn the attention of the Protectorate capes, but the ABB members had been swift to retreat and scatter after they have taken the numerous drug paraphernalia and some load of money before the Merchants' hideout was burnt. By the time most of the Heroes arrive, they were already too late, the ABB had already sequestered themselves in their territory.

For days the ABB was in a celebratory mood, Lung most of all, who looked quite pleased with himself after massacraing all the Merchants and he had taken to fully indulging in his baser appetites, which mostly included a lot of whores.

With the Merchants gone and the ABB leader fully intending to expand his territory, Taylor allows herself to settle in the main ABB hideout for good.

It's been nearly a week since Taylor last visited her home and she knew that her father would be worried by now. However, she couldn't care less about the father who raised her. Danny Hebert would be assuming that she's been abducted or killed at this point but Taylor doesn't see any reason to go to him and explain her reason for leaving, or even resume her familial ties with him. Not when it will only prove to be a major hindrance to her main objective.

Thus, Taylor moves to the main ABB hideout and Lung and his two Lieutenants are more than happy to welcome her into their midst.

Taylor Hebert never looks back into the light again as she completely descends into the dark.
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Swiftly docking her head down, Taylor is able to avoid Oni Lee's direct punch to the face, but she is not able to evade the leg that somehow manages to sweep under her.

At once, she falls down on the training mat with a thud. She lay there for a moment even as Oni Lee move to stand above her.

"Have you been training with others Persephone? Because it looks like you haven't been training at all with how you keep on falling on the mat..." is Oni Lee's remark.

After Taylor has carefully arranged the man's shard configuration, she is somewhat pleased to see that the previously blank slate cloner is now able to remember everything and even become more verbose compared to his stoic attitude before.

With Bakuda working on the cranial bombs that Taylor suggested and Lung managing everything regarding the expansion of his territory in nearby areas, it's Oni Lee who has personally seen to Taylor's physical training, along with a number of his men who specializes in some forms of martial arts.

Of course, Lung occasionally drops by to give Taylor some pointers while Bakuda just comes to informs Taylor of the progress on the cranial bombs for force recruitment, but it's the Demon who oversees Taylor's overall training and Oni Lee has proven to be a competent taskmaster.

"I apologize, Lee." Taylor states as she slowly sits up. "My mind is just preoccupied at the moment."

"I see...might I ask what is in your mind that causes your distraction?" the Demon asks her.

"I'm simply thinking about the men that you sent out three days ago." She tells him. "Did you hear anything from them yet?"

"I believe that this is not the right place for this particular discussion Persephone. Someone might overhear. Perhaps we might talk elsewhere in a much secure location?" The man suggests to her.

"Yes, of course," is her reply.

"Here, let me help you up." Oni Lee states as he reaches out to her.

Taylor grabs a hold of his gloved hand and allows herself to be pulled up.

"Come and we shall talk in my office," Lee tells her as he places a hand on her shoulder.

Taylor doesn't need to know what Oni Lee intends to do since this is the sixth time that she has teleported with him after she has made an adjustment to his shard capabilities.

There is a jerking sensation in her navel right before Taylor suddenly finds herself standing in Oni Lee's pristine office, where he mostly conducts his business with the Shadowy members of his team.

"You may sit," Lee says to her, indicating the chair in front of his mahogany desk.

Taylor moves to sit on the chair while she watches as Oni Lee sits down behind his desk and face her. The red demon mask he wears is set in a permanent leer, fanged and grinning from ear-to-ear. If Taylor is anyone else, she would have been terrified for being alone with a sociopath like Oni Lee, but she knows that the man will never hurt her. So she remains as expressionless as ever when she faces the Demon.

"Now, what do you want to know Persephone?" Lee inquires as he leans back in his high-back chair with his arms crossed in front of him. The bandoleer of knives on his black bodysuit gleaming with cold light.

Taylor allows herself to settle in her chair comfortably while she regards the man in front of her.

"I want to know the progress of the men you sent for the reconnaissance mission three days ago," She says. Her words are not an order but a statement.

"The men are tracking some of Empire Eighty-Eight members as we speak. As discreetly as they can. Their progress is slow, but we are close to discovering some vital information regarding its notable members and their current movements." Lee informs her.

"How long will it take for them to find out about Kaiser?" is her next query.

"It depends on the situation and how the men deal with some of the obstacles along the way. Perhaps a week or a month. I can't be sure."

"I don't have a week," Taylor states while she pursed her lips. "I need the main location where Kaiser generally operates his Criminal Empire."

"Perhaps we can obtain the information from Kaiser's Lieutenant - Hookwolf - who often shows up in dog fighting rings. His movements have proven to be predictable compared to other members. We can set a trap for him in one of those dog fighting rings and capture him." Lee recommends to her.

There is a short pause as Taylor considers this information for a moment.

"There won't be any need for a trap," She says, "Just inform me when Hookwolf decides to visit one of these dog fighting rings and I'll come and meet with him."

At her confident words, Taylor can see Oni Lee inspecting her with his coal black eyes. As she reaches outwards, Taylor immediately senses the concern in the man's mind and his need to protest against her intention.

"I know you are a powerful cape Persephone. However, you might discuss your plan with Lung first before you set out. The Dragon will be thoroughly displeased if you leave without him knowing about your plans." The Demon advice her.

Everyone in the ABB already assumes that Taylor's power is to destabilize a parahuman's power and improve on them, like in Oni Lee's case. However, that's the only thing Taylor has shown them so far. Most of them don't even know that she is Master as well.

But despite her Master power, Taylor decides to let Lung lead while she simply remains under his shadow where she continues to plant and tend to the rich garden in his mind.

After all, her name is Persephone, who is the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld. It's only right that she proves herself to be similar as her namesake.

"You don't have to worry Lee. I have every intention to talk to Lung about what I intend to do." She assures him.

"That's good then. However, for my peace of mind, I prefer that you bring some of my throwing knives and grenades with you for your protection, and perhaps I will ask Bakuda to give you some of her bombs to properly equipped you before you face Hookwolf." Lee tells her.

Another pause follows as Taylor considers the man before her.

"Concern for my welfare, are you Lee?" Taylor asks, raising a brow at the Demon.

"Yes, very…" is Lee's only serious remark. "Whether you are Asian or not, you are one of us now. A member of the ABB."

"I understand your concern Lee, but you have to trust in my ability to see things through," She says to him. "I am certain that I won't run into any problems when I face Hookwolf."

"Still, I will ask Bakuda to build something for you before you set out. Something that will send a distress signal to the rest of us in case you need back-up." Lee says to her.

"Very well," comes Taylor's nonchalant response. "If that makes you sleep at night, then you can ask Bakuda to build that tech."

"Then, we have an agreement."

"Yes," She says and that is the end of their discussion.
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"Just press the button and all three of us will come running to help you...but for all our sakes, don't do anything stupid that you would need us to begin with, white girl." The female Bomber had said to Taylor as the woman gave the tinker gadget that has a GPS on it and the relay button which will send a distress signal when Taylor needs help. It's built like a wrist watch too, which Taylor can wear on her wrist without none the wiser of its true purpose.

Other than the beacon, Bakuda has also supplied Taylor with a number of mini bombs that functions in various ways, most of them will serve as distraction if she needs to escape. As for Oni Lee, the man is no slouch either and had provided Taylor a number of grenades and the finest of his throwing knives, which he had personally sharpen to deadly points the night before Taylor is about to leave.

The two Lieutenants already knew what Taylor intends to do, except for the Dragon, which is the reason why Taylor is making her way towards his room. Oni Lee has informed her about where and when Hookwolf is going to appear a day before, but Taylor had been busy with a last minute training session with Oni Lee that she failed to inform Lung about her plans. For this reason, Taylor finds herself walking in the main ABB hideout and straight into Lung's room.

After living for nearly two weeks in the same place as the leader of the ABB, Taylor already knows what Lung is doing at this moment, considering that she knows his routine as well as he might know hers.

Most assume that Lung has his own sex slaves, but when Taylor starts living in the same building with the ABB leader. She discovers that some part of the rumor is true. Lung does have a number of women most of the time, but they are mainly his paid whores that he gets from the whore houses he owns.

Other than that, Taylor also learns more about Lung's habits, where she finds out that Lung doesn't smoke, drink or do drugs. The only apparent vice she has seen him do so far is parade a number of women in and out of his room and other places, that ranges from three to five whores - where six is the highest - when the ABB leader is clearly stressed out and needs instant relief from what she heard from the other members.

Taylor knows all of this but she allows the Dragon his only vice, so long as it does not interfere with her main objective. All of the ABB members have talked about Lung's insatiable sexual appetite and Taylor has decided not to comment on it, despite the fact that she sometimes have trouble speaking to him openly without his whores clinging to his side like blood-sucking leeches. Because apparently, being one of Lung's whores is considered to be an honor now, just by judging at the number of women who likes to paw at the man-dragon possessively and gaze at his handsome features like a bunch of hungry hyenas every time Taylor has a chance to talk to him.

Taylor had even sense the spike of jealousy from Lung's women, especially when the ABB leader pays attention to her, where he treats her with respect, or when he flashes Taylor with one of his rare smiles. There is even one incident when one of the whores had been openly confrontational and the woman had remarked that Taylor is one of Lung's potential groupies because how much Taylor spends time with him. At the woman's comment, the Dragon had been completely enraged, so much so that he had instantly ordered his men to drag the woman out and straight into the Underground cages to be sold as a drug-induced sex slave, but not before they beat her bloody.

"You will show her some respect! Whoever dares insult her again, I will personally cut their tongue out and burn them alive myself!" Lung had simply roared in rage to anyone within hearing after the incident.

Afterward, no one had insulted Taylor outright, but she knows what they are thinking. More and more of them are beginning to wonder what her true relationship with the ABB gang leader is, especially when Taylor spends most of her time sequestered in Lung's office while he teaches her how to run a part of the Criminal Underworld.

Lung has even jokingly starts calling her, "My Dark Apprentice," just because Taylor continues to learn more of the evil, dark deeds that the Villain has to result to keep his Underworld Kingdom running.

However, sometimes Taylor can tell when Lung wants to withhold knowledge from her and his hesitation to teach her more. For someone who has a fearsome reputation, Taylor realizes that Lung still has some good in him despite his Villain status because he occasionally appeals to her absent conscience during those times when she sits in his office to learn.

"You're still very young and innocent to know this...but this corruption of the soul. The stain it leaves in one's being every time we do these evil deeds for selfish reasons. It won't be easy to cleanse or remove...For it will be there forever no matter how much you try to erase it. I hope you understand this Persephone," Lung had said, his voice almost sad when he looks at her that one night. "Because there's still a chance for you to turn back around and stay in the light, to remain uncorrupted, where you can pick or plant flowers in your garden, enjoy your Springtime of youth, run away barefooted in a grassy glade. Be Persephone. The Goddess of Spring, and not become the Queen of the Underworld who reigns in the dark...I may not be able to change your mind, but I want you to listen still. If my mother were still alive right now, she will advise me to keep you from this dark, crooked path, like she failed to do so with me. As rebellious as I had been in my youth, I loved my mother, but that love wasn't enough for me to respect her wishes to change my ways and become a respectable man. Because when I make a choice, I always stand by it and I never diverted from the path that I set before me ever since. However, you are different...and I know you can still decide to take the right path..."

"Kenta, I understand the decisions that you made these past years to make you the person you are now." Taylor had replied, "I know your choices hadn't been easy...from the night you triggered, to the fight with Leviathan that sunk Kyushu, even your refusal to join the Protectorate and your imprisonment with the Yangban...You made tough choices, but I can see in the end that your choices had made you far stronger than before. So I ask that you respect my decision as well because I also intend to become powerful enough to take the Triumvirate at the end of my path. Even if I'm still young in your eyes, but I'm not as innocent as you might think, I'm mature enough to understand where this path will lead me...More than that, you can't corrupt someone whose soul has been corrupted from the beginning Kenta-kun. There's no going back for me anymore. No ascending into the light for me, or taking back my childhood innocence. There's no other way for me but down into the Underworld...where all I need is a guide in the darkness..."

There is a moment of silence afterward as the Dragon regards the Queen.

"You are very stubborn, aren't you Persephone?" Lung had sighed, sounding defeated.

"I know I am…"

"You must understand that when you go down this path, it's going to be difficult for you to turn back without suffering some form of mental trauma. You will see unimaginable horrors along the way and you will do things that most will find inhumane. Are you ready for it, Kore?"

Kore. The other name for Persephone, which means The Maiden.

"I am ready and I am not afraid."

"You should be Persephone…"

"I'm not afraid because I know you will be there to guide me in the dark, Ryujin..."

"Dragon King, am I? Hmn...How fitting..Yes, I will be there to light the path for you with fire, I will guide you, lead you anywhere you want, even across a river of blood, down the pitch black tunnels choking with bloated corpses and heaps of bones, and straight into the precipice where you can see the unimaginable horrors that lurk in the deep abyss...but for how long do you want me to guide you, I wonder?"

"For as long as you are able to Kenta," was Taylor's response.

"If that is what you wish, then I will lead you wherever you want in the dark…"

"Then, stop hesitating Lung and teach me everything I need to know." That had been Taylor's words and the Dragon had not hesitated since then.

Taylor is brought back to the present when she finally comes to a halt in front of Lung's door. Instantly, she hears the sound coming from the inside. At first, she hears a number of feminine giggles, then a familiar growl, there is some creaking sounds, followed by more explicit noises.

It doesn't take a genius to know what Lung is doing at the moment, but Taylor finds that she particularly doesn't care if she interrupts Lung's activities.

With a blank expression on her face, Taylor raises her hand and knocks on the door.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Her knock is loud and Taylor knows that the occupants of the room must have heard it because the noises instantly ceased.

For a moment, there is only silence in the room right before Taylor hears Lung's shout of annoyance.

"WHO THE FUCK IS AT MY DOOR?! CAN'T YOU HEAR I'M CURRENTLY BUSY?!"

Yes, I can hear you just fine Lung and the women in your company. Taylor thinks while she finally says out loud, "Lung, it's me, Persephone. I need to speak with you."

At the sound of her voice, Lung immediately falls silent. Then, as Taylor listens more closely, she hears Lung's gravelly voice ordering his whores, "What are you waiting for you idiots?! Fucking cover yourselves! I don't want you bitches airing your cheap wares to someone as innocent as her!"

There is the sound of grumbling from the women. Taylor even hears a female voice says, "Why don't you just tell the girl to go away so that we can finish what we- "

"Shut the fuck up! She's not some girl! She's a cape and more important to me than you piece of shit! So shut your trap, you good for nothing slut!"

Another silence followed while Taylor waits for Lung to come out of his room.

It takes another minute for the Dragon to finally emerge from his lair and when he does, Taylor can't help but wrinkles her nose at him. The man practically reeks from his latest activity. With his dark raven locks in complete disarray, his skin flush and glistening with sweat, and the scent of various perfumes clinging to him, plus the lipstick stains and other markings all over him, Lung looks thoroughly debauched.

Fortunately, Taylor is grateful that Lung has hurriedly put on a pair of loose pants before he meets her. However, it is still blatantly obvious that he wasn't quite finished yet with his activities at all.

"What the fuck do you want Persephone?!" comes Lung's low growl, his handsome face set into a fierce scowl of annoyance as he slams the door shut behind him, but not before Taylor catches a glimpse of four faces glaring at her from inside the room.

Hmn...four whores this time, Lung? My, my...I hope your regenerative ability somehow prevents you from getting STD...Taylor thinks.

"I apologize to interrupt your...activities with your guests," She states in a cool tone as she tilts her head up to meet Lung's annoyed gaze. "But there is something that -"

"Yes, you should apologize to me, little girl! Because I'm beginning to think that you don't even know what you just interrupted!" Lung cuts in furiously before Taylor can finish.

She notes when Lung suddenly narrows his eyes at her as he spat out angrily, "I know you already left your home to come live here, but I wonder...Did your parents give you The TALK before you even left?! Because if you haven't heard about the Birds and the Bees, I have all the time in the world to fucking educate you right now and the importance of not interrupting someone in the middle of IT!"

"Lung, I'm sixteen years old. Not twelve. I had sex ed in my school so I already know what you've been doing with your whores since I came here," is Taylor's calm response, which seems to infuriate Lung all the more.

"Then, why the fuck do you have the need to interrupt me from my enjoyment?! Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?" Lung snaps at her.

"No, I am not trying to piss you off. And I am truly sorry for preventing you from achieving maximum gratification, but I had to speak to you before I leave." She informs him as expressionless as ever.

There is a brief pause as Lung's anger seems to disappear after hearing her words.

"Before you leave? What do you mean?" He says while a frown mars his brow.

"I'm leaving Lung. It means I will be leaving the ABB gang while I handle some important matters in person." Taylor tells him.

"For how long and when?" comes the Dragon's demands.

"I don't know how long I will be gone, but I will be leaving right now." Taylor informs him.

"Right now? Why so soon? And why haven't you told me about this before?" Lung inquires, clearly getting incensed at the fact.

"I'm sorry. I failed to inform you earlier because I've been preoccupied with something else," is her only reply. "But now that I have informed you about my intention, then I will be taking my leave soon."

Taylor observes how Lung's face seems to darken in raw anger.

"No, you are not going anywhere Persephone!" Lung growls as he grabs a hold of her wrist and pulls her close to him until she is forced to tilt her head back to face Lung's wrathful gaze. "I am your leader and you will obey my command! You will not go anywhere without my permission and you will stay here where I want you!"

"Lung, you are never my leader to begin with. I join your gang for my own gain. Now, let me go before I do something that you will soon regret…" Taylor states in a cool tone while she places a hand against the man's bare chest in warning.

At her words, the Dragon simply growls in defiance and says, "I said you are not going anywhere Persephone!"

There is a pause as the Dragon continues to growl and glower at her.

"Kenta, I will only say this once more...Let. Me. Go." She orders, exerting more of her willpower on him.

However, Lung surprisingly resisted. The Dragon must really want her to say by his side that he is even able to fight against Taylor's previous conditioning. His need, his desire to keep her there with him must be so strong that he simply tears right through Taylor's hold on him. With the Dragon mentally fighting her, Taylor has no other choice but to use drastic measures to overpower him, which requires contact on the deviant host.

Quickly, Taylor's hand snaps forward to grab the back of Lung's neck and drive her nails straight into his skin until she draws blood. She does this to keep him in place while Lung lets out a snarl at her ruthless action.

With her cold grey eyes boring into his fiery brown orbs, Taylor uses a mental command to reign the enrage Dragon in. Obey me, Lung, Dragon of Kyushu! YOU MUST LET ME GO!

The moment she finishes her order, Lung instantly releases his hold on her wrist while he slumps against her with a groan. Taylor allows him to use her as a crutch as he recovers from the mental pain that results from her action. She stands there still as a statue with Lung clutching her shoulders and his face buried into her hair.

When the Dragon finally straightens up and lets her a few moments later, Taylor simply regards him for a second before she says to him with a note of finality, "I am leaving."

A muscle immediately leaps on Lung's jaw as he grits his teeth after he hears her words. She also notes how Lung's face hardens into a savage look and his eyes burns with fury once more. However, that is all the Dragon does and Taylor is somewhat relieved that Lung hasn't fully circumnavigate his mental block and gone into a rampage.

"You may go back to your whores," She says to the man, but it seems the chance of fucking all those four women waiting in his bedroom doesn't appease the Dragon because she sees him clench his hands until his knuckles turn white and she hears the low displeased rumble coming from deep within his throat.

Lung is still absolutely pissed despite her mental interference.

"Goodbye, Kenta…" Taylor says and she finds it curious when she notices a look of utter helplessness that flares in the man's light brown eyes when she spoke those words. The Dragon understands very well that he can't stop her from leaving and this must have struck him to the core.

However, she doesn't have time to investigate this further for she has limited time as it is. She has to meet Hookwolf and use him to find Kaiser's location.

Taylor has just taken a few steps away from the ABB leader when she hears him say something that completely surprises her...

After long hours of talking in his office, pouring over paperwork while he imparts his dark knowledge on her and she listens and follows and shadows him wherever he goes in his Underworld Kingdom. A dark shadow to his burning flame. She knows that Kenta has accepted her as someone far more important to him now.

She understands that the Dragon had been a lonely beast before and after his imprisonment with the Yangban and he has managed to fill that void in his black heart by running his own Criminal Underworld. Yet she knows that he yearns for more, some form of connection, emotional or otherwise. She can see it in his past. How he was a rebellious teen seeking approval from his peers. Then, a young man trying to prove himself to the world as he fought the Leviathan. Now, a Villain who spends his time working to build his fearsome reputation as both a madman and something else while he uses and discards cheap women like dirty laundry.

But for all his dark reputation and evil deeds, Kenta had been more true to her than anyone else. She had seen how he acts with others and Taylor had the honor of seeing the man behind the Dragon mask. Despite his terrifying power, Lung is only a man with a secret weakness, which Taylor figures out soon enough after she spends time with him. Like a Dragon, he is overprotective of the one treasure he hoards. A pearls he guards and keeps close to his heart.

Lung has one secret and his secret is this...The Dragon wants someone to accept him as he is, with all his monstrous strength, untamed power and the danger he presents. He just wants someone to be there with him, whether it be a friend, a lover or a partner, it doesn't matter who it is so long as they stayed by his side unconditionally.

After days with the ABB, Kenta had treated her with respect and like an equal and Taylor understands that he doesn't do this unless he deems the person worthy. She also understands that Kenta sees her as both his confidant and his apprentice, even perhaps someone he has invested emotionally.

So she knows that the Dragon had grown attached to her somehow, but she doesn't know to what extent until she suddenly hears his whispered and broken words, words marked by sheer desperation when she walks away from him.

"Will you...will you be coming back?..."

She hears the Dragon asks.

Without pausing in her steps, Taylor's response is as cold as Winter itself.

"You know who I am, Ryujin...I'm Persephone...I always come back when Spring ends."

And that was that, Taylor doesn't look back, even when she can still feel Lung's gaze on her as she leaves, nor does she turns around even when she hears the last words the Dragon softly utters before she is gone from his sight.

"Then, I will wait for you here Persephone…"

Still, the Queen walks and descends further down, and straight into another Empire, where an Emperor rules with his court of racist followers.